About Witchweed
Striga asiatica, the Asiatic witchweed or the red witchweed, is a hemiparasitic plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, but has been introduced into other parts of the world including Australia and the United States. Asiatic witchweed is a serious agricultural pest, as it parasitises important crop species, including corn, rice, sorghum, and sugar cane, often causing substantial yield reductions. While it is native to Africa and Asia, it is invasive in farmlands of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. In the US, this witchweed was discovered in the Carolinas in 1956.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Striga asiatica
- Genus
- Striga
- Family
- SCROPHULARIACEAE
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grasslands in open deciduous forests
- Distribution
- Tropical and South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Marathi
- पिवळा आग्या
Scrophulariaceae
Figwort family
Witchweed belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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